News

Following recent revelations of Islamophobic behaviour from members of the Conservative Party, the Muslim Council of Wales has contacted the Chairman of the Conservatives, Rt Hon Brandon Lewis, to express our concerns about Islamophobia in the party and are calling on him to conduct an independent inquiry into the issues. Our full letter to the Chairman can be seen below:

The Muslim Council of Wales were very happy to help with the development of this timely and urgently needed resource, by recruiting young people from the Cardiff Muslim community to a listening session with the Commissioner’s team last summer. We are immensely proud of the wisdom shown and insights provided by these young people into the struggles they face every day as Muslims living in Wales.

Islamophobia is on the increase. No child should be the target of hate for any reason, however, there are many ways that everyone, Muslim and otherwise, can work together to end these problems in our society.

On December 5th 2017, the Muslim Council of Wales in partnership with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and the Knowledge Exchange Program of Saudi Arabia, hosted a joint international conference on the theme of ‘Ethical Approaches to Peaceful Coexistence’. The conference was held in Cardiff City Hall and attracted over 110 speakers and delegates from around the world and across the UK. The conference aimed to look primarily at religious and interfaith perspectives on the topic to provide ways forward for peaceful coexistence in an increasingly globalised, diverse and conflicted world.

The conference was inaugurated by representatives from the three partner organisations – Prof. Medwin Hughes, Vice Chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), Dr Abdullah Al Lheedan, Chairman of the Knowledge Exchange Program (KEP) and Prof. Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales (MCW).

The keynote speaker was Dr Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti Emeritus of Bosnia who spoke on the Islamic concepts of ethics and morality as bases for peaceful coexistence. He reflected on how these ideas relate to contemporary issues such as Islamophobia and violent conflict and how there must be cooperation between Muslims and other communities to address these. He argued for an acknowledgement of issues within Muslim communities and texts as well as an acknowledgement of the moral emphasis in the message of Islam in order to move dialogue forward. The full speech can be downloaded on Dr Ceric’s organisation’s website here:

Other speakers included Prof Gary Bunt from UWTSD who discussed online examples of conflict and coexistence, Catriona Robertson, Director of the Christian-Muslim Forum who argued for a strategic, practical approach to interfaith work, Dr Waqar Azmi from Remembering Srebrenica who reflected on lessons from the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia in 1995, Dr Yasser Babateen from KEP who explored how learning a language can be an opportunity for cultural exchange to promote coexistence, and Rabbi Monique Mayer who gave an example of a project aimed at coexistence after the eruption of violence in Gaza in 2014.

The initiative resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the three partner organisations which took place during MCW’s annual interfaith dinner the following evening on 6th December 2017. The document was signed by Prof. Medwin Hughes, Vice Chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), Dr Abdullah Al Lheedan, Chairman of the Knowledge Exchange Program (KEP) and Prof. Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales (MCW). The memorandum of understanding will allow further cooperation between the organisations to develop further initiatives and projects aiming to counteract division and conflict in society and achieve peaceful coexistence.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the leaders of three bodies to formalise our co-operation on various projects over the next five years.

The MoU was signed at the Muslim Council of Wales’ Annual Interfaith Dinner on Wednesday 6th December 2017 by the following representatives:

Professor Medwin Hughes, Vice Chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Dr Abdullah Al Heedan, Chairman of the Knowledge Exchange Program

Professor Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales

The MOU came after the three organisations’ first collaborative event the day before, the Ethical Approaches to Peaceful Coexistence Conference 2017, held in Cardiff’s City Hall. In it, the three organisations to agree to work on joint projects, including the translation and publication of articles, books and research papers, academic exchange and organising shared events, over the next five years.

Following the news of the incidents in Barcelona last night, the Muslim Council of Wales has issued the following statement:

“The Muslim Council of Wales is shocked and saddened by the news of the attacks on members of the public and police officers in Barcelona on Thursday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families at this difficult time.

“We pray that these senseless criminal acts will only serve to further unite the public in the face of those who seek to spread hatred, violence, and divisions between communities. We trust that the Spanish authorities will investigate and prosecute the perpetrators within the full extent of the law.”

Following the news of the terror attack in Finsbury Park last night, the Muslim Council of Wales has issued the following statement:

“The Muslim Council of Wales is horrified by the news of the attack on Muslim worshippers on Sunday evening. Our prayers are with the victims.

“It is even more horrific that there is a potential Welsh link with the attacker. We trust the authorities and police investigation, and await further information.

“We hope that this is an opportunity for communities to come together, as our nation has done with terror attacks in the past, and with the Grenfell disaster.

“Unfortunately, so long as Muslims are held collectively guilty for terror attacks committed by those with a Muslim identity, then Islamophobic violence against Muslims will remain common. The responsibility is on politicians and the media to discuss all cases of terrorism with care and diligence.

“One year ago Jo Cox was assassinated on the street. This weekend was declared by the Jo Cox Foundation as a moment to celebrate her legacy – that we have more in common than divides us. We urge all to remember her message today.”

Saleem Kidwai OBE, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, has issued the following statement following the attack on London Bridge and Borough Market on Saturday 3 June 2017:

“What has happened in London yesterday, barely a fortnight after the tragedy in Manchester, has left me and our communities in shock. We are saddened by this senseless loss of life, and our prayers and thoughts are for the victims, their families and for all those affected.

“We commend the emergency services and Metropolitan Police force for their swift action and especially their efforts to keep the people updated of developments via social media. We urge the public to allow the police to do their job, without undue speculation, and to only share news from trustworthy sources.

“Again, as happened in Manchester, the many stories of people opening their homes, businesses and places of worship as shelter to those caught up in the events of last night, show the true nature of the British people in pulling together during times of need. We pray to God Almighty to protect us all from those who seek to divide us.”

END.

Notes to Editors:

The Muslim Council of Wales is Wales’ largest Muslim umbrella body, with regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools in Wales.

Saleem Kidwai OBE, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, expressed the following in relation to the death of Rhodri Morgan:

“Rhodri Morgan’s death brought sadness to all who knew him, and many who did not know him but had benefited from his tremendous good work as a politician.

During his tenure as First Minister, he was an impeccable politician, professional but always good humored. Many Muslims in Wales knew him as a friend too, he was as comfortable in a mosque as he was in the Senedd, and represented a vision of Wales which was progressive, open to the world, welcoming and multicultural.

One of his lasting legacies is establishing the Faith Communities Forum, bringing together religious communities in Wales to meet with each other and with the Welsh Government. His leadership in recognising the integral role of faith traditions has made Wales a pioneer, and many countries have since followed the example set by Rhodri.

On behalf of Welsh Muslims, I offer condolences and prayers to Julie Morgan and Rhodri’s family. He will be deeply missed by so many. The traditional Muslim prayer for the deceased is “From God we have come, and to God we return”. I know that Rhodri would have loved to have heard the Islamic prayer made in Welsh – “O Duw dyn ni wedi dod ac i Duw dyn ni’n mynd nol”.

Notes to Editors:

The Muslim Council of Wales is the Wales largest Muslim umbrella body with regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools.

We at The Muslim Council of Wales are are deeply troubled by the reports that a Welsh Muslim teacher, Mr. Juhel Miah of Llangatwg Comprehensive in Aberdulais, was denied entry into the US.

It is outright Islamophobic discrimination that a British citizen school teacher travelling with his school party should be denied entry into the US. This is the latest in a series of incidents in which Muslims have been denied access to the US, incidents which do in fact predate Trump and his Muslim ban.

According to reports, Mr Miah is a British citizen who holds no dual nationality. He is not from one of the seven banned countries, but he is Muslim.

We are extremely concerned about the normalisation of discrimination against Muslims which fan the flames of hatred and add fuel to far right organisations that aim to divide communities and create a “them and us” society.

Incidents like this undermine equality and civil life; society as a whole must unite together in order to resist.

Muslim Council Wales are offering support services to anyone affected by similar travel problems.

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